Tiger owes wife an apology, and us nothing

When I first learned Tiger Woods was in “serious” condition following a one-car accident last Friday, I was concerned. It came across the bottom ticker on ESPN, and it was that thousands-of-thoughts-running-through-your-head concerned.

What happened? How serious? Is his career over?

Then the details started to build like the galleries that follow him. The only serious damage Tiger suffered was to his reputation after admitting to “transgressions” on Tuesday. US Weekly published a piece about a cocktail waitress claiming she had a 31-month affair with the world’s No. 1 golfer, and has text messages and a voice mail to prove it.

So now, Woods, a man who’s always craved privacy when he’s away from the golf course, is left to pick up the pieces of his marriage while the world looks on, peeking into his windows via media outlets like TMZ and uninformed blog postings. For a guy who doesn’t create controversy and has a squeaky-clean image, I thought it was a big step to release a statement that pretty much admitted his adultery.

Still, there are millions out there who feel Tiger owes us more of an explanation. They want to know every dirty detail of the affair, where and when, and a play-by-play of the accident that caused this whole thing. Because he’s makes a ton of money, because he can sink a putt on Sunday better than anyone in the world, because when all is said and done, he’ll go down as the greatest man to pick up a golf club, because he’s been in the spotlight since he was 3 years old. Because of all of these things, he owes the world some insight.

The fact is though is that Tiger doesn’t owe anybody anything — except for his wife, to whom he owes a very big apology. We’ve all made mistakes, and we all have private moments, and yet I don’t see Tiger Woods climbing into your bedroom window grilling you for answers.

Truth be told, this whole spectacle didn’t leave me wondering about Tiger’s character, but the character of where we are as a society. This media feeding frenzy and the two-bit outlets that report the “news” makes me embarrassed to be a member of the media. Unnamed people, such as “a friend” or “a person close to the situation,” is now considered a credible source, and readers no longer question what’s true and what isn’t.

If it’s in print — or on a blog or Web site — start spreading the news. And the people who yearn for this information are just as bad. How awful is your life when you want to celebrate the misery of another’s?

He’s human, he made a mistake and he addressed it with a statement. So he didn’t walk to a podium to answer ludicrous questions. So he didn’t (at least yet) sit down with Barbara Walters for a one-on-one that would send the ratings through the roof.

Tiger Woods is a golfer, and nothing more. Some argue that he’s the ultimate pitchman, and that his reputation is now sullied by this incident. And that may be. So don’t buy his products. Don’t swing Nike clubs. Don’t drink Gatorade. Rebel by growing a big beard. Switch to Verizon. Go on with your life, because Tiger is certainly going to go on with his.

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